Oznameni

Has Globalisation Changed Corporate Communication?

How does communication change in a company that has transformed from a Czech to a global manufacturer over the course of just a few decades? That is precisely the question a team of researchers from Škoda Auto Vysoká škola, the Faculty of Arts at Charles University, and two international universities – the Vienna University of Economics and Business and the University of Regensburg – is seeking to answer.

The study builds on an extensive survey carried out at Škoda Auto between 1996 and 2010, a period when the company was undergoing significant internationalisation and integration into the structures of the Group. The aim of the research was to compare how communication processes had changed and to examine how globalisation had affected the way the company operates, the role of foreign languages in a multinational environment, and employees' everyday use of language. The findings show that internal communication has gradually shifted away from a dominance of German towards greater use of English, which is now the common working language in online meetings, project management and collaboration with international offices – including India, Vietnam and others. German continues to hold an important place, however, and other languages, such as Polish, are also growing in certain areas. The researchers also found that language management does not emerge solely through formal rules. In their day-to-day work, employees develop their own communication strategies, switching between languages depending on the situation. Intercultural experience and the ability to collaborate in international teams also play a key role. The insights gained may prove useful in areas such as employee training, soft skills development, HR, and the management of international collaboration.